Robert Charles Wills was born 31 March 1858 in Torquay, Devon, England. A son of Robert Wills and Mary Ann Williams. In his youth he learned the trade of a stone mason. As a young man he met and courted Selena Alice Wheeler and they became engaged. She was the daughter of Thomas Wheeler, Jr. and Lydia Sophia Pullen. She was born 14 December 1869 in Acton Beauchamp, Worch. England. While in her early teens, she contacted a contagious disease which left her quite deaf, which was a great handicap to her.
Robert Wills decided to go to Canada to look for work and save enough money to send for his future wife, Selena. She arrived in Toronto, Canada on August 27, 1884 and they were married that day. The following year they moved to Mammoth, Utah, where Robert started to work in the mines. He worked there for twenty-one years, putting in long hours seven days a week. While working there he contacted miners consumption.
While living in Mammoth, eight children were born to them, Rob Roy, Victor Charles, Laura Gladys, William Ceacil, Selena Maude, Burt Wilford, Dorothy Bertha and Alma Leonard. On the 23 September 1897, after their first five children were born, they went to the Salt Lake Temple and were sealed for time and eternity.
They endured many hardsips and much sickness and tragic deaths while living in Mammoth, losing four of their eight children between 1903 and 1905 and their home burned down. When the Government opened up the Uintah Basin for homesteading, they decided to try to start a new life here. Robert Wills visited the Basin several times and on one occasion he became very ill and was hospitalized in the Government hospital at Fort Duchesne. He was so ill they were afraid he would not recover, so they sent for his wife who came out here and nursed him back to health. His wife was more determined than ever to move her family out of the mining town into a country with fresh air and sunshine. This was a very desolate land and many people changed their minds after seeing it, but Senena and Robert were determined to make a home here.
They were able to buy two horses and an old coal wagon in which they piled their belongings. They were unable to bring any furniture, except one bedsprings. They brought bedding, clothing, cooking utinsels, food, and $60 in cash. They decided when they got a house built to live in, they would go back to Mammoth and bring their furniture out. But when they went back several years later, people had broken into their house and stolen all their furniture.
Robert built a rock dugout in the side of the hill and this was their first home. The scorpions were many and one bit Maude on her finger, so Selena insisted on moving into a tent. Their homestead was located about four miles west of Roosevelt, which was known as Hancock Cove.
While living in Mammoth, Robert had his Patriarchal Blessing in which he was promised he would eat grapes from his own grape vine. At the time of the blessing, they thought this would never happen. The planted an orchard and some grapes on their farm and before he died, he enjoyed sitting in the shade of his trees and eating grapes. Robert Wills lived seven years after they moved to Roosevelt.
Because of Robert’s poor health, much of the responsibility was placed on Victor who was only seventeen when they moved here. They used to carry Robert out and set him on a chair where they were digging post holes and he would sit there and dig post holes.
Victor worked for two years in a lumber mill in the mountains to earn enough lumber to build a one room house. Gradually the house was built, crops planted and fences put up and ditches dug.
On the 6 September 1908 their ninth child, a beautiful little daughter, Ruth, was born. Her life span was very short for on the 10 August 1910 she died from a head injury which was caused when she fell down the stairs to the rock cellar hitting her head on a post at the foot of the steps. She died several hours later.
Selena worked very hard on the farm, gardening, raising chickens and turkeys. People came from all over the basin to buy her delicious melons. She was also called upon many times to help deliver babies in the neighborhood. They had to haul their water a long ways until Galloways dug a well. They used to have to walk to Myton to buy their groceries, which was about ten miles away.
On the 12 April 1913, Robert Wills passed away, having been an invalid most of the time since he came to Roosevelt. Their son, Burt, was also in poor health, suffering from rheumatic fever and a bad heart. He passed away the 17 September, 1919. Selena had a strong testimony of the gospen which helped to sustain her during her trials.
Only three of their children lived to be married. Selena Maud married John Joseph Foley, they had four children. Victor Charles married Blanche Campbell Swain and they have five children of their own and two of Blanche’s by a previous marriage. Alma Leonard married Carrie Pedersen and they have six children. All of these tragedies resulted in poor health and Selena Wills passed away 18 January 1940. Her son Alma was killed in a tractor accident 29 April 1964.
Victor Wills is still living at this time. Last December 15, 1970, his family celebrated his 90th birthday with a family dinner. He and his wife had five children. They were all born in Roosevelt. Later they moved to Ogden where he lives now.
Most of the original homestead is still owned by a member of the family. It belongs to a grandson of Robert and Selena, John Alma Wills.
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